Platform raking attachment for mowers



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

.A. B, MILLER. PLATFORM BAKING ATTACHMENT FOR MOWERS- No. 525,110.Patented Aug. 28, 1894.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. B. MILLER. PLATFORM BAKING ATTACHMENT FOR MOWERS.

No. 525,110, Patented Aug. 28,1894.

,qmzmda. maven UNITED STATES PATENT Orrion.

ANDREW B. MILLER, or HERBST, INDIANA.

PLATFORM RAKING ATTACHMENT FOR MOWERS! SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 525,1 10, dated August 28, 1894. ApplicationfileclMarch 9,1894. sesame. 603,040. (Nomodel-l To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW B. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Herbst, in the county of Grant and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Platform Raking Attachment for Mowers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in those mowers which areprovided with platform raking attachments, whereby the grass may beraked from the knives and deposited in a windrow on the side of themachine; and my primary object is to construct an appliance whereby thegrass may be first raked upon a platform and allowed to accumulate thereuntil the operator desires'to dispose of it, when he may operate themachine to deposit it as he desires. In the means for attaining thisobject, lies my invention and the means will be fully describedhereinafter and finally embodied in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective viewthereof; Fig. 2 a cross section; Fig. 3 a horizontal section lookingdownwardly; Fig. 4 a perspective view of the rear or discharging rakedetached; Fig. 5 a similar View of the front rake; Fig. 6 an enlargedperspective view of the clutch mechanism for operating the dischargingrake, said mechanism being there shown as detached and standing alone;Fig. 7 a detail of the disk for operating the front rake.

The reference letter a indicates the platform of the mower, to which myimprovements are shown as applied, and this is provided with the cuttingapparatus d and the wall or railing a. The cutting apparatus may be ofany preferred class, while railing a is constructed with the outletopening (II/2 arranged to deposit the grass out of the line ofsubsequent travel and with the usual and necessary opening a to admitthe grass to be placed upon the platform. Arising vertically from therailing a are the standards b and bo, which are four in number andarranged in pairs opposite each other and joined at their tops by thebeams 19' and b respectively. Secured toand operating uponthesestandards and their respective beams is the operative mechanism ofmy invention.

, To accomplish the purpose of my invention I provide two independentoperating rakes c and f. Rake c is of the vibratory class and consistsof a transversely extending head 0 located and operating in the openingd of the wall or railing a, and of a shank c which is rigidly secured tothe middle of the head and extends rearwardly to the link 0 The link cextends approximately vertically and is pivoted to the longitudinal beam0 which extends from one of the beams 'b orb to the other and isrigidlysecured to each. Formed integral with or rigidly secured to the shank cand at a point just forward of its middle is the stud or arm 0 which isformed with the vertically elongatedslot 0 adapted to receive the pin dof the crank disk d. The pin d has a free movement in the slot 0 of thearm 0 and the purpose of this peculiar construction will be apparentlater on. The crank disk d is fixed to the 'revoluble shaft d, which isin turn journaled in one of the standards I), and in the hanger ddepending from the cross beam b. Formed in the'outer .face of the disk dand at various distances from its axis are the openings d in which thepin d is adapted to fit. The pin d is removable and by changing it fromone opening to another the rake may be made to vibrate in paths ofdifferent distances. As the shaft d revolves the disk d will, inconsequence thereof, follow and impart to the rake c a verticallyelongated elliptical movement; one which will cause the head c to engagethe platform a at its frontal extremity and move rearwardly for adistance, in practice, about one foot. During this rearward movement thehead of the rake does not move inthe ellipse which is ordinarilycharacteristic of it, but travels along the surface of the platform anddoes not leave it until it has moved the full distance required. Thispeculiar movement is due to the slot 0 of the arm 0 for when the head cis not in engagement with the platform,the weight of the rake will makepin d to lie in the upper extremity of the slot, and. so it will remainuntil the head co engages the platform, whereupon the pin d will berelieved of the weight, and as the disk d proceeds its pin movesdownwardly, rearwardly and upwardly and in the arc of a circle, whichmovement will cause the pin to move down the slot and thence back to itsupper extremity and to simultaneously draw the rake rearwardly. Fixed tothe shaft d and revolving therewith is the chain pulley d, over whichthe traction chain d operates, and from this point the chain extendsrearwardly to the shaft 6, where it passes over a chain pulley c and bywhich the shaft (3 and consequently the rake c is driven. The shaft e isrevolubly journaled in theleft hand standard b and in the hangers cwhich depend from the cross beam b Fixed to the left hand end of theshaft e, beyond its bearings, is the drive pulley e over which the chainc operates, and by which the shaft is revolved. The chain 2 may proceedto any of the operative parts of the mower from which power is derived.Secured to the lower ends of the hangers e and extending horizontallyfrom one to another is the beamf, in which is journaled the upper end ofthe vertical rotary shaft f This shaft is provided for supporting andoperating the rear rake f, and is journaled at its lower end in theplatform, at f. The rear rake consists of two shank sections f 2 and fthe former f being fixed to the shaft f and extending horizontallytherefrom, while the latter, f', is pivotally connected to the end ofsection f and is given a normal tendency to the right by means of theleaf spring g, which is secured to the section f at g and extendsapproximately parallel with the section f until its end is reached. Hereit engages the sectionf and thus the said section is given its normaltendency.

g designates the head of the rear rake and this extends vertically andis provided with the outwardly extending teeth 9 which are arranged invertical alignment and which bear against the wall or rail (1 at therear of the platform. The railing a at the rear of the platform iscurved in the arc of a circle and serves as a guide for the shanksection f while the circular guard 9 is provided and arranged aroundshaft f to form a definite passage for the grass and prevent it frombecoming entangled in the shaft. Thus it will be seen that a passage isformed in which the rear rake and the grass actuated thereby is forcedto travel. This, however, will be more fully described hereinafter. Theupper end of the shaft f projects above the beam f and is provided withthe bevel gear h, which is rigidly fixed to the shaft and which mesheswith the corresponding gear h on the shaft 6. This latter gear, h isloosely mounted on its shaft and provided on its right hand side withthe studs, 72/, which are arranged opposite each other and adapted toengage with the shouldered notches k of the clutch sleeve 71, The clutchsleeve 7& is arranged to embrace the shaft e, and is held incapable ofindependent rotary movement by means of the studs, 7;, which fit inlongitudinally elongated slots t in the sleeve. This also allows thesleeve a limited independent longitudinal movement, whereby it mayengage or disengage the gear h Formed on the sleeve, 7L3, are theparallel annular flanges t", which form a way or groove in which thearms and 70 of the clutch lever 71 are arranged, so as to allow thesleeve free rotary movement. in the lever and so as to allow it to bemoved longitudinally on the shaft e. By this means the clutch may bemade to operate at will, and by causing it to operate the gear h is madeto revolve with the shaft and consequently the rear rake operated. Thelever 71 is fulcrumed in the bifurcated arm 70, which is secured to oneof the hangers e and projects inwardly toward the companion hanger.Fixed to the arm 70 and arising vertically therefrom is the spring kwhich is connected to the arm 70' of the lever 2' by a pivotalconnection, whereby the lever is given a normal tendency to swing to theright, thus disengaging the clutch and throwing the short and lower armof lever 2' to the left. This lower arm of lever 2' is provided with ahorizontal arm M, in which an anti-friction roller k is journaled andthis is adapted to bear against the periphery of the gear, h, and isheld in contact therewith by means of spring it as just explained. Theperiphery of the geaig'h, is formed with a semi-circular recess 70 inwhich the roller 70 is adapted to fall when presented thereto by therevolutions of the gear. This operation will result in a movement of theroller 70 to the left and a consequent disengagement of the clutch. Thenormal position of the parts is with the roller 70 in the recess 76, andwhen so arranged the clutch will be disengaged and shaft 0 free tooperate without moving the gear h and the parts in connection therewith.

Z indicates a cord which is connected to the lever t and which extendsto the driver or operator of the machine. Here it is connected withsuitable actuating mechanism, whereby the cord may be drawn and thelever 2' thrown so that the clutch will be engaged and the roller kmoved out of its recess 70 This movement will be against the tendency ofspring is, and will continue only long enough to allow the roller 10 toengage the regular periphery of the gear, h, when the pressure on thecord, Z, may be released, since the gear will operate to keep theleverin the position in which it was placed by the operation of the cord Z,thus causing the latter to be unnecessary. As soon as the clutchattending the gear h will be made to positively engage such gear, therear rake is made to operate, and this operationwill continue during onerevolution of the gear h, whereupon the roller 75 will drop into therecess 70 and thereby disengage the clutch. Thus it will be seen thatupon engaging the clutch the rear rake will be made to operate duringone revolution of the gear h, and after this has been completed theparts will automatically result back to their normal and inactiveposition. In the use of my invention the machine is advanced upon thegrass in the usual way and the cutting mechanism allowed to cut thegrass. During this operation the shaft 6 is revolving continuously andthis will rake.

be followed by a similar movement of shaft 01' and a consequentoperation of the front This will draw the grass upon the platform a, andas it increases in quantity it is forced back and into the path of therear rake. When the quantity of the grass makes it necessary, the cordZis made to engage the clutch of gear h and this will be followed by anbeginning of the curved rear portion of the railing, where it stops,owing to the automatic operation of the clutch previously described, andwhere it remains until it is necessary or desirable to again operate therear rake. Hence it will be seen that by means of my invention the grassis not continuously deposited on the ground, thus necessitatinggathering its small bunches, but that the grass is deposited in largebunches, say once in every fifty feet, which will make it easier togather. The invention is adapted for use in connection with cloverseed,but maybe used in cutting other classes of grasses, as may bedesired. I have not shown a complete mowing machine since my inventiononly relates to the raking devices and the platform, and no furtherdescription is deemed necessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is a 1. In a grass cutting machine, thecombination of a cutting apparatus, a platform connected thereto, adrive shaft mounted on the platform, a gear loosely mounted thereon, asleeve mounted so as to revolve with the drive shaft and capable of alongitudinal movement on the shaft, whereby it may be engaged with thegear thereon, a lever connected to the sleeve whereby it is operated, 'aspring for holding the lever so that the sleeve and loose gear will bedisengaged, a rake on the platform, a gear connected to the rake andmeshing with the loose gear and having a notch in its periphery, afriction roller on the lever and adapted to normally lie in the notch inthe second gear, whereby the sleeve and the loose gear will be normallydisengaged and whereby upon moving the friction roller out of its notchthe said sleeve and gear may be engaged and the rake made to operate,substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a platformprovided with standing walls or flanges forming a guideway'for grain orgrass, the rear portion of said guide-way being segmental in form, acutting apparatus arranged at the front end of the platform and meansfor operating the same, of a reciprocatory rake arranged to operateadjacent to the cutting apparatus, means for operating said rake, avertical shaft arranged concentric with said rear segmental portion ofthe guide-way, a lateral arm carried by said shaft, a second armpivotally connected to the first mentioned arm and having a ter-' minalrake, a spring for pressing said second rake carrying arm forward, andmeans under the control of the operator for rotating 'said shaftintermittently to carry the grass or grain through the segmental portionof the guide-way and discharge the same at the outlet end thereof,substantially as specified;

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in Witnesses:

JAMES BABE, JOHN 'B. MILLER.

